ALONG THE WAY: Diane Smith

Friday

Nov 30, 2012 at 4:00 AM

When the bricks from the old Ravenna High School are available, you'll be the first to know.

Prompted by a question from a co-worker, who wanted to know how she could get her hands on a piece of her alma mater, I contacted Bill Wisniewski, director of business operations for the district. He assured me that the district was working on a policy to determine how the bricks will be made available.

That prompted a number of readers to call me and ask how they could be put on a list. I told them what I'm telling you now -- when the policy is announced, I'll write about it in the Record-Courier.

A few wanted to know why the bricks couldn't be put out for the public to take as soon as they fall. I mentioned that the contractor is concerned about making sure nobody will be hurt. When the bricks are available, they'll be separated into piles indicating which building they came from.

So keep reading. I promise to keep you posted.

More changing technology

The introduction of new computers and software at the R-C means that we now have laptops to take to meetings.

Will you see me toting mine? I'm not too sure about that. The reason? I need access to the Internet in order to use most of the software we have. Our method of submitting stories via remote is web-based, too.

So unless I want to hang out in the local McDonald's, I will need to come back to the newsroom to submit my stories anyway. And since most meetings on my beat don't run terribly late, I might as well start writing when I get back to the office.

In other news, I managed to keep my mouse from my old computer and a co-worker of mine was very pleased to know he'd be able to do the same. Had my mouse been replaced, I would have brought one in from home. Just say no to white mice.

Filling plates at the holiday table

You may have noticed some recent stories in our about some turkeys that were picked up by the wrong social service agency.

The takeaway message was that the turkeys still went to feed hungry people, just not the hungry people for whom they were originally destined. And the act prompted generosity among area residents who gladly donated birds to those in need.

As a volunteer for another social service agency, I can tell you that turkeys -- heck, meat of any kind -- is at a premium. And any agency would gladly appreciate your donations. But just a tip, give money, because most agencies can make $1 feed four people, and might not have the freezer space to store lots of turkeys or hams. But if that's what you've been given as a holiday bonus, I'm sure any agency would find a good home for it.

Just don't be like that guy who called the Butterball turkey hotline to ask if a 20-year-old bird in his freezer would still be good. When the representative said that it probably wouldn't have much flavor, he said, "Oh, OK, I'll just donate it to the church!"

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